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UPDATED: Murdered teen was reported missing, police say

UPDATE:Members of the Gitwangak band have identified the victim as C.J. Fowler.

Kamloops Mounties are staying tight-lipped about the murder of a missing 16-year-old girl whose body was found in a Sahali ravine this week, but it appears the public should have no cause for concern.

"If we had a threat to the public, we would make it known," RCMP Const. Bernie Ward told KTW.

"Threat to the public comes first, even if it might hamper an investigation. We would do a public warning."

Ward refused to speak to specifics, but noted there was no such warning issued after the girl's body was located in Guerin Creek on Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Her name has not yet been made public, and neither has the cause of death. All that's known is she is First Nations, from the Terrace area and was considered a missing person.

There has been some confusion about her status as a missing person, Ward said, with Terrace RCMP stating she was not missing from their detachment area.

"This person was missing," Ward reiterated.

"We're not saying, period, where from."

A search of RCMP missing persons bulletins turned up no recent files matching the girl's description.

According to Ward, giving away too much information about the victim at this point could cause problems for investigators.

"I'd love to be able to speak to that, but it's something they [investigators] don't want to expose," he said.

"They're doing a timeline as to what her actions were. They want to let tips come forward and they don't want [media reports] to influence that.

"They want people voluntarily coming forward with stuff and you don't want that tainted."

Police have said the girl had been in Kamloops with "associates" for "an undisclosed period of time" prior to her murder.

RCMP in Terrace are also believed to be assisting with the investigation.

The murder is Kamloops' fourth homicide of 2012. There were two slayings in the city in 2011.

Anyone with information can call police at 250-828-3000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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